


Home Again

by mmouse15



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 03:56:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmouse15/pseuds/mmouse15
Summary: How was Luke preparing for his journey as a Jedi and leader of the Rebellion?





	Home Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gryzdolnik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryzdolnik/gifts).



After the battle near the Alliance base on Yavin 4, Han and Luke quickly found that Leia was the child of a senator that had helped start the Alliance to Restore the Republic against the Empire, and she was busy. Alderaan was no longer, the Imperial Senate had been dissolved, and the Alliance needed leaders that could organize. Leia had been raised her entire life to do exactly that, and she set to with a will.

Han and Luke were quickly drafted as errand runners for Leia. Han had a ship, a very useful ship, and he, Chewie, and Luke worked well together. Luke was researching the Jedi order, but he could do that while Han was piloting them somewhere.

They hopped all over the galaxy and soon became fast friends. The loss of the Death Star had been a blow to the Empire, but it wasn't enough to stop them. Darth Vader was still out there, still the Emperor's watchdog, and the Alliance was still young, poor, and badly in need of bases. They tried a couple of places after Yavin 4 had been revealed, but it wasn't until Leia led them to an old base on the ice planet Hoth that Han, and thus Luke, figured out that she was also flying by the seat of her (figurative) pants. She no longer had her father to help her, and she was reliant on the contacts she'd made throughout her life. Some of these people genuinely wanted to help her, and others wanted to take advantage of her. Han was familiar with the latter type, and had no problem going with her as her bodyguard.

Luke, on the other hand, went with to learn. He stayed in the background, quiet, acting as a secretary of sorts to the Princess. He learned a lot about people during that time. After each meeting, when they were back on the _Millennium Falcon_ , they would do a debrief, where Leia would outline what her goals had been, how she'd used her diplomatic skills to try and accomplish those goals, and what some of the hidden meanings in her words had meant. After Leia retired to get some sleep, Luke would listen to Han's more blunt explanation. Han would tell Luke what kind of mark the subject had been, how he'd know that, what some things the Leia hadn't explained meant, and how Han cased the place for exits, weapons, and methods for escaping, should it be needed.

The years between Yavin and Hoth were a steep learning curve for Luke, but he started feeling that he was pulling his own weight when Leia took them to a meeting with an acquaintance she was uncomfortable with. Han was also prickly, and Luke could read the conflicting emotions in the Force, since they were so loud. While he was reading the emotions, a dark force came to his notice. He abruptly made the 'wave off' motion, and Han took over, hustling Leia out to the Falcon, which Chewie had been keeping ready. They'd barely gotten on the Falcon before it started taking fire. Han and Chewie flung the ship off the landing dock and into the atmosphere, wrenching the Falcon to hyperspace as soon as they were clear of the atmosphere. Han put them through a series of jumps, pausing only long enough to reorient himself before leaping again. They leapfrogged across the galaxy this way, until they could safely make their way back to their base. Han had arranged for a ship to meet them and grab Leia, while the Falcon made several more jumps to a place Han knew, a rocky asteroid belt they could hide the Falcon in. They had to suit up to work on the ship, but they did so, scanning it thoroughly and finding a tracking beacon, which Han gleefully attached to a small, non-sentient drone. After the Falcon was clean, the Falcon made a detour to the closest sun and sent the drone straight into the star's heart.

Luke learned, in that two weeks, to cook meals that Han and Chewie would eat. He learned where the hidden compartments on the Falcon were. He learned the ease of conversation. Han liked to talk, but he also liked to listen. It was a very different experience for Luke, having grown up with his Uncle Owen. He realized that Owen had not been a bad man, and had wanted the best for Luke, but their visions conflicted with each other. Luke wanted the stars, adventure, the ability to fly. Owen had only ever wanted his farm and to provide for his family. Luke hesitantly told this to Han, and reached a measure of peace with where he was now.

All of this was preparing Luke for the next steps in his education, although he didn't know it at the time. But his friendship with Han would always remain a foundation stone in his life.

~fin


End file.
